Thursday, 5 January 2017

CARNAVAL ~ MISS UNIVERSE....review

Carnaval are, Ažo - guitars & vocals, Vičo - guitars, Mato - drums and Sacco - bass, four guys from Ljubljana,Slovenia who take their influences from the classic/hard rock of the 70's and sandy desert grooves of the 80's, blending those influences with elements of alt/grunge, space/psych and the blues creating an intriguing and unique sound that is totally their own, as can be heard on the bands fourth album "Miss Universe" (KAPA Records)

One of the things that hits you when listening to "Miss Universe" is the depth of musical diversity that presents itself across the albums nine tracks, heavy stoner riffage sits side by side with grunge-like quiet/loud/quiet dynamics, bluesy guitar solos next to neo-classical shredding and on "Round Nose Cat" even a little improvised free jazz just to keep things interesting. The band also mix it up vocally with gritty stoner, melodic shoegaze and 60's pop harmonies all making regular appearances sometimes separately, sometimes all in the same song. What really sets "Miss Universe" apart though is the strength of songwriting and arrangement that has gone in to this album, songs ebb and flow effortlessly through differing dynamics and time signatures going off on tangents but never losing their focus, this combined with the excellent production makes this an album that should be savoured and enjoyed for years to come.

Slovenia is not a country high on many peoples lists when it comes to quality "underground" rock music, those positions are usually reserved for the likes of Sweden, Greece and the USA but if there are other Slovenian bands churning out albums like Carnaval's "Miss Universe" then it might be well time we re-thought those lists.Check 'em out.....

About Me

My name is Frazer (FDJ/Stonerking) and I am sole writer for stoner/doom and psych blog DESERT PSYCHLIST. I am not schooled in journalism, have no degrees and have very little knowledge of English grammer in fact I have no certificates of any description! The truth is I spent most of my formative school years not actually being there preferring instead to following bands around, going to gigs and travelling around the country to see my local football (soccer) team.

The reviews I write here are never going to be grammatically correct with punctuation in all the right places and nor will they be thought provoking and deep, sometimes they will not even make much sense to anyone other than myself but what they will be is from the heart. I want you the reader to feel the music that I love, share in my discoveries and in my disappointments and generally help me to promote the bands and the music that means so much to me. If you find something among these pages and posts that you like then follow the links and spend a few pennies supporting the artist. Lets give a little something back to those that give us so much.